Process for obtaining the inner secretions of the thyroid glands and other organs in a pure state.



UNITED STATES PATENT car es.

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'PBOCESS FOR OBTAINING THE INNER SECBETIONS OF THE THYROID GLANDS -ANDOTHER OBGAN'S IN A PURE STATE. I

No Drawing.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application fledpecember 13, 1907;Serial No. 406,292.

Patented Oct. 29,1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNST HOENNIOKE, a citizen of the German Empire, andresiding at DresdenA., Kingdom of Saxony, German Empire, have invented anew and useful Process for Obtaining the Inner Secretions of the'ThyroidGlands and other Organs in a Pure State, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description.

In the medical practice, the inner secretions of certain organs orglands, such as the thyroid glands and the suprarenal-capsules, havebeen used for healing purposes. The processes usually employed forobtaining these secretions have hitherto consisted in making extractsfrom, or lixivi-ating the glands in question and then precipitating outallthose albumins contained in the extracts, which arein acolloidal,.(sol) condi-, tion, by means of precipitating reagents such forinstance as tannic acid. The precipitate thus obtained, which containscellularand blood albumin, in addition to the inner secretions, was thenpurified and made up directly into tablet form. Thus these tabletscontain albumins in addition to the inner secretions. For scientific asalso for practical reasons it is, however, advantageous to obtain theseinner secretions in physiologically pure solutions, the pure state ofthe material constituting the fundamental condition for the properst-udyand reliable employment of all substances.

The object of the present invention is to obtain such secretions inphysiologically pure solutions. 7

I have found that the cellular and blood colloids possess entirelydifferent qualities .or filtering walls or partitions. 'The cellular andblood colloids exhibit the properties of the typical colloids while thecolloid of the inner secretion possesses qualities almost presentmethodof separating the products is based upon these different properties andthe process consists in converting the blood and cellular colloids, byphysical means quantitatively into the gel condition of the innersecretion. Thus it will be evident that the liquid obtained will bephysiologically pure,

because no soluble chemicals have been add- 'ed, the partial gelcondition being produced in the known manner by surface or catalyticalreaction.

The invention may be carried out in a variety of ways, as hereinafterset forth.

First example: 1 kg. of fresh thyroid glands are filled into areceptacle of semipermeable material and subjected to the dialysis in aphysiological solution of common salt. In the first place the cellularblood, and secretion colloids separate out altogether in the interior ofthe semipermeable receptacle. 'The colloid of the inner secretion passesquickly through the semipermeable walls of .the receptaole, owing to itscrystalloidal properties-into the collecting receptacle, while the othercolloids, owing to their purely colloidal nature are converted intothegel state or condition by the surface of catalytical' reactlon of thesemipermeable walls and remain in the latter. The solution obtained isperfectly clear and of a yellow-brown to brown color having the sameshade in penetrating and reflecting light. The latter phenomenon formsan important criterion for the purity of the product, since if by reasonof defects in the semipermeable walls, some of the other colloids shouldget into the liquid the. latter will show a whitish opalescence or whitedullness in direct light.

In order to avoid the employment of an artificial semi-permeable wall,the surface of the gland employed may be rendered semi-permeable, sothat a be obtained, by placing. t e same directly in a liquid. This maymay be effected, according-to the nature of the gland, either by placingthe same in boiling water for a moment or by rendering it air-dry. Inboth cases. the surfaces of the same become semi permeable (owing to thecoagulation of the cellular and blood colloids) and have the same effectas those of the intestine walls of the example first iven. approachingthose of the crystalloids. The

Second example: extract of a kilo of thyroid glands is heated in a waterbath.

to to C. The extract is first placed in the cold bath and the latterthen heated, the extract being covered up, and the level of'the extractbeing the same as to level of the bath or somewhat below the same. On

of the bath. boiling, the exremoved. It is then allowed to cool slowlywhereupon the cellular and b'lood albumin will quickly separate out inthe form of flakes. The addition of heat in. this case operatescatalytically to accelin the form of flakes takes erate theprecipitation, since even .a cold sothat it-;can be'enormou'sly acceerated and perfected by ra id heating.-

Third examp e: The extract of akilo of thyroid glands is mixed with a0.1% tannic acid solution and shaken'z-the lprecipitation acelmmediately and perfectly, the cellu ar and blood albumins alone beingprecipitated out owing to their greater inclination to coagulate. If-

more tannic acid were added-the colloid of theinner secretion would besimultaneously separated out. In the present" process the tannic acidoperates catalyticall and is, of

course, precipitated out:-. with t e gels and does notiremain in thesolution. I c'la1m a s my 1nvent1on:

'A process for obtaining physiologically pure solutions of the innersecretions of organs according to which extracts of these organs inphysiolo c salt solution whichcontain a mixture 0 the colloids of thecellular, blood and secretion albumins are treated with means acting bycatalysis and surface reaction only but not in producing chemicalcompounds with such albumins, by which treatment the typical colloidsalone are caused to coagulate whereupon they are separated from theinner secretions'which remain in solution. a

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

ERNST HOENNIGKE. 'Witnesses:

RICHARD lrrnn'rn, ERNST LIENEMZANN.

